Americans freed from Afghanistan in prisoner swap, family and Taliban say
US soldiers board an US Air Force aircraft at the airport in Kabul on August 30, 2021. – Rockets were fired at Kabul’s airport on August 30 where US troops were racing to complete their withdrawal from Afghanistan and evacuate allies under the threat of Islamic State group attacks. (Photo by Aamir Qureshi / AFP/ Getty Images)
(WASHINGTON) — Ryan Corbett, an American held in Afghanistan since 2022, has been released from Taliban custody in a prisoner swap, according to his family.
The Taliban’s foreign ministry confirmed the swap in their own statement, saying Corbett and another American national were exchanged for Khan Mohammad.
Mohammad was sentenced to life in prison in 2008, two years after his arrest near Jalalabad, Nangahar Province, Afghanistan, according to a 2008 release from the Department of Justice. He had been extradited to the U.S. and convicted on narco-terror charges, the release said.
“A violent jihadist and narcotics trafficker, Khan Mohammed sought to kill U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan using rockets,” Acting Assistant Attorney General of the Criminal Division Matthew Friedrich said in a statement at the time. “Today’s life sentences match the gravity of the crimes for which he was convicted.”
The Corbett family gave credit for the prisoner exchange to both the Trump and Biden administrations. Corbett’s wife had a call with former President Joe Biden recently and also met with members of the incoming Trump administration.
“The countless hours of negotiations, unwavering support, and determination demonstrated by all involved have not gone unnoticed, and we will forever hold this kindness in our hearts,” the Corbett family said in a statement.
At least two other American nationals are still detained in Afghanistan.
U.S. officials say the Biden administration had explored freeing at least one prisoner held in the Guantanamo Bay detention facility as part of an exchange with the Taliban but ultimately decided it would be too complicated.
(PABRADĖ, Lithuania) — Search and recovery efforts are underway for four U.S. Army soldiers who went missing during scheduled tactical training near Pabradė, Lithuania, the U.S. Embassy in Vilnius said.
They were reported missing on Tuesday, the Lithuanian Armed Forces said.
The Army, Lithuanian Armed Forces and Lithuanian law enforcement are among those involved in the search, the U.S. Embassy said.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
(GAZA) — Palestinians in Gaza and abroad are rejecting a proposal by President Donald Trump that the United States “take over” the Gaza Strip and lead the redevelopment of the war-ravaged territory.
Palestinians interviewed by ABC News said they yearn to rebuild Gaza for themselves, the only place they say they have or will ever call home.
“This is not going to be accepted by any Palestinian, we will reject this totally,” said Abu Anton Al-Zabadi. “And if Trump is interested in the wellbeing of the Israeli people, America is a great country, it’s powerful and has lots of land — and if he wants to take in the Israelis to the U.S., he can do so. But this is our land, this is our homeland and this will never be accepted by any Palestinian. We are staying here.”
Tens of thousands of homes and cultural centers have been destroyed — including schools, churches, mosques and stadiums — and entire neighborhoods have been turned to rubble amid the monthslong Israeli retaliation following Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attack on Israel. More than 45,000 Palestinians have been killed with thousands more wounded, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.
In a news conference Tuesday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Trump said he hoped to “level the site” and rebuild it, after earlier saying Palestinians living there should leave and go to other areas or countries.
“The U.S. will take over the Gaza Strip, and we will do a job with it, too,” Trump said. “We’ll own it and be responsible for dismantling all of the dangerous unexploded bombs and other weapons on the site. Level the site and get rid of the destroyed buildings. Level it out.”
Some human rights groups have accused Israel of committing genocide and ethnic cleansing in carrying out its war with Hamas. Some of the Palestinians ABC News spoke to fear Trump’s comments about relocating Gazans are an extension of an effort to permanently displace them.
Many have lived or have been connected to Gaza for generations, recalling memories of swimming in the Mediterranean Sea, lounging on the beach with their families and visiting some of the world’s oldest historical sites found in Gaza before the war and bloodshed. It’s where they grew up, went to school and raised their families.
Some Palestinians had refused to leave Gaza despite the Israel-Hamas war and said they don’t plan on following Trump’s whims about casting them aside now, either.
“This is a very difficult decision for the people of Gaza, since they have lived through nearly 15 months of terror, killing, displacement and migration,” said Fouad Hatem Al Kurdi, a Jabalia Camp Resident. “Despite that, they stayed in their land and did not leave. After 15 months of suffering, no one will leave here … I live here, I know my work, I know how to build it, I know everything here.”
“It is impossible for anyone to leave their country and sell their country, despite the steadfastness and pain we have experienced,” said Muhammad Zarouk, a resident of Al-Shati Camp. “I will not leave, it is impossible. I will sacrifice my blood in order to stay here in my land.”
“Either I die in Gaza or I live in Gaza,” Amer Al-Sawafiri, another Palestinian in Gaza told ABC News. “Those who were displaced suffered a lot … I cannot leave my country and my family. Where will I go?”
“As for me, my children and my family, we will stand firm,” said Ilham Al-Durra, a Palestinian in Gaza. “I will not leave. This is my land, my country, I will not leave.”
Palestinian refugee Hani Almadhoun told ABC News he lost two brothers in the war, one who was a co-founder of the Gaza Soup Kitchen that provided food for Gazans amid the threat of famine during the Israel-Hamas war.
Almadhoun said his focus now is still on ensuring that people have food, medical care, and other necessities amid the ongoing humanitarian crisis.
Rebuilding Gaza is not yet the focus for those on the ground, he said.
“We just recently relocated the grave of my brother from another place, because the cemetery was all destroyed. So even in death, we’re not finding peace,” said Almadhoun. “My family is trying to do as much as we can, and it’s sad because this needs a lot larger humanitarian response, and that’s not been fully authorized. We’re not even talking about rebuilding yet.”
He said he hopes one day Gazans achieve “economic development and stability.”
Yousef Aljamal, a Palestinian refugee residing in Turkey, left Gaza eight years ago and plans to return once he’s able. He said he’s not shocked by Trump’s rhetoric, pointing to other comments the U.S. president has made about taking over the Panama Canal and Greenland.
“Will his plan materialize on the ground?” Aljamal said. “I think the only people who can stop this plan is the people of Gaza. They are determined to stop his plan. They do not want to go anywhere.”
Tala Herzallah, a 22-year-old student in Gaza, told ABC News that Trump’s comments felt like a slap in the face after everything Palestinians have endured for over a year.
“‘Just leave your homeland, leave your country for us to rebuild it in a way that we see is good for us, not for you'” she characterized Trump’s remarks. “I can’t understand how this can be considered justice,” said Herzallah.
(LONDON) — Munich police said at least 30 people, including several children, were injured after a “vehicle drove into a group of people” in the center of the city on Thursday morning.
“The driver was able to be secured on site and currently poses no further danger,” police said in a post in German on social media.
The incident is being treated as a “suspected attack,” Bavarian state Premier Markus Söder told journalists.
A 2-year-old child was critically wounded in the attack, according to a spokesperson for the Dr. von Hauner Children’s Hospital.
“Doctors are currently fighting for the toddler’s life,” the spokesperson said.
The suspect is a 24-year-old Afghan asylum-seeker residing in Munich, police said.
The suspect was already known to police because he “was listed as a witness due to his previous work as a store detective,” not because he was a known criminal, police said.
Authorities have not yet suggested a motive or named the suspect.
Florian Volm, a spokesperson for the Munich Public Prosecutor’s Office, told ABC News that the Bavarian Central Office for Extremism and Terrorism of the Attorney General’s Office is “investigating today’s incident to find possible motives.”
Police said the incident occurred in the area of Dachauer Street and Seidle Street in the heart of Munich, close to the city’s central train station.
The incident occurred at Stilgmaierplatz, where a rally organized by the Verdi trade union was taking place from 10:30 a.m. local time, police said. The event was accompanied by police and therefore officers were already on site.
A Munich Police spokesperson told ABC News that the suspect overtook a police vehicle with his car before accelerating and plowing into the back of the demonstration. Police believe he acted alone.
Munich Mayor Dieter Reiter told reporters that “many people have been injured, including children. I am deeply shocked. My thoughts are with the injured.”
“The police have arrested the driver of the vehicle, but the exact circumstances are still unclear,” Reiter added.
Police said a “major operation” was underway, urging residents to avoid the area in order to assist emergency responders.
Images from the scene showed police and medical responders working near a damaged vehicle surrounded by belongings and debris. Police cordoned off the area of the incident as helicopters circled above. Police have not identified the suspect or the vehicle involved.
Thursday’s vehicle crash came less than two months after a car plowed through a Christmas market in Magdeburg, Germany, killing two people and injuring nearly 70 others, local officials said at the time.
ABC News’ Helena Skinner, Felix Franz and Dada Jovanovic contributed to this report.
